Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that his side must improve drastically in their meeting against Blackburn Rovers if they are to keep their hopes of silverware alive.
The Reds have fallen off the pace in the battle for a top-four spot in the Premier League following back-to-back defeats at Manchester United and Arsenal, meaning that winning the FA Cup is now realistically their only remaining achievable target this campaign.
Ahead of this evening's quarter-final replay at Ewood Park, which follows on from last month's goalless draw, Rodgers has targeted a strong end to the season.
"I don't want to go down the route of saying that [the Cup will save Liverpool's season]," he told reporters. "Our objective was to win a trophy. I think if we didn't get in the top four and we didn't have a trophy this year, we ourselves would be disappointed.
"I think the FA Cup would give us a great boost as a team with lots of young players and players coming into the club. That's the expectancy we want. We want to be able to be challenging every year. That was the key thing, to get the group challenging at the top end of the league and for trophies.
"The last two results and performances have been disappointing but there is still so much left in the season for us. We have 21 points left to fight for. The teams above us still have difficult games to play but the mathematics of it show it will be difficult – but it can be done."
Liverpool find themselves seven points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City, with just seven games of the season left to play.
Daniel Lewis
